1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tilt device for a marine propulsion unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (JP-B) No. 7-36879, a stem drive type marine propulsion unit (inboard/outboard motor) includes a cylinder device interposed between a boat body bracket and a marine propelling unit. This is tiltably supported with respect to the boat body bracket and a hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit for extending and contracting the cylinder device. The tilt operating the marine propelling unit by supplying and discharging the hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit to the cylinder device.
In the conventional art, while the right and left cylinder devices are interposed between the marine propelling unit and the boat body bracket, the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit is mounted in the inside of the boat body. Pipe fittings extended from the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit are elongated on the periphery of the marine propelling unit to be connected to the right and left cylinder devices.
However, the conventional art involves the following problems.
(1) Since the pipe fittings extended from the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit are elongated on the periphery of the marine propelling unit which is to be connected to the right and left cylinder devices, it is necessary to secure a space for a pipe fitting between the boat body and the marine propelling unit, so that the working efficiency for pipe fitting is not high.
(2) On the failure of a tilt device, it is necessary for the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit and/or the cylinder device to be replaced and it is necessary to insert/eject the pipe fitting, so that maintenance property is not good.
Further, the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit and the right and left cylinder devices may be integrated each other. However, when they are simply integrated, there is a difficulty with respect to disposing the right and left cylinder devices to the marine propelling unit having the common difference in the processing and the measure. On transportation of the tilt device, it is necessary to pack a large size component composed of an integrated combination of the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit and the right and left cylinder devices and transportation property is not excellent.
The object of the invention is to provide a tilt device having a pair of right and left cylinder devices and which will improve the working efficiency for pipe fitting from the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit to the right and left cylinder devices, the maintenance property, the processing property, the property to be disposed to the marine propelling unit and the transportation property in the tilt device.
The invention described provides a tilt device for a marine propulsion unit in which a cylinder device is interposed between a boat body side bracket and a marine propelling unit, which is tiltably supported with respect to the boat body side bracket, and a hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit extends and contracts a cylinder device and tilt operates the marine propelling unit by supplying and discharging the hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic fluid supply/discharge unit to the cylinder device. The tilt device comprises a pair of cylinder devices to be arranged at right and left of the marine propelling unit. A hydraulic fluid supply/discharge: unit, which is separately formed from one of both cylinder devices and arranged between the both cylinder devices to be coupled with the both cylinder devices.